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Pa ge 4 4 T hu rs da y, O ct ob er 8 , 2 01 5 - T he IF P - H al to n H ill s - w w w .th ei fp .c a 312 GUELPH ST., GEORGETOWN 905-877-2296 www.georgetowntoyota.com Sat. Oct 10, 2015 7:30 pm at Mold-Masters Sports Plax Georgetown Raiders vs. Buffalo Jr. Sabres SPORTS Comingup The Halton Hills Minor Hockey Association will host its annual Best of the Best Thanksgiving Challenge this weekend at local-area rinks. Matters got physical in front of Halton Hills Bulldogs' goalie Ayden Clare Satur- day in their OMFLA Fall League contest against the visiting Toronto Beaches at Trafalgar Sports Park. Bulldog Cole Yuschyshyn gets sandwiched between two Beaches' players while teammate Mark Linden offers some support in Toronto's 12-2 victory. Photo by Jon Borgstrom Playing on their home turf, the un- der-13 and under-16 Halton Hills Bulldogs finished off the Ontario Minor Field Lacrosse Association's regular season at Trafalgar Sports Park on Saturday in preparation for this weekend's Fall League cham- pionships in Brampton. The U-13 Bulldogs lost 12-2 to Toronto Beaches and 7-5 to Whitby at Trafalgar Sports Park and will play in the Fall League's B Divi- sion playdowns this weekend in Brampton. The U-16s dropped their games against Peterborough and Barrie and will compete in the OMFL's finale in the C Division bracket at Brampton's Creditview/Sandal- wood fields. Local resident Morris rewarded for hard work after comeback Slipping behind the Aurora defence in the final minute of the second overtime period, Ben Morris took a perfect pass from Daniel Volpe on his backhand. Breaking in alone, the 18-year-old fired a quick, low shot that beat Tigers' goalie Alex Brooks-Potts on the glove side. Scoring the winning goal would be cause enough for celebration on its own. But for Morris, this one meant a little more. "That was really special," the Georgetown native said of his recent overtime winner in a 4-3 Burlington Cougar victory. It had been 10 months to the day since his last goal for the Cougars, a fact that had more to do with how his rookie season ended than how his sophomore season began. Morris awoke in the intensive care unit of a Toronto hospital last December not entirely sure how he got there. The last thing he remembered was playing hockey. And as he heard the sportscasters on the TV talking about the Toronto Maple Leafs' four-game winning streak, he wondered how that could be. He had just watched them lose badly a couple of nights earlier. "I woke up clueless about what had happened," he said. Morris didn't realize that as he lay in a medically induced coma for a week, the hockey world was rally- ing around him. Don Cherry spoke about him during Coach's Corner, NHL players, sportscasters and even rival teams were texting and tweet- ing get-well messages. It was a Dec. 5 game against Or- angeville when Morris lined up for faceoff. His memory of the game has returned and he can see it vividly. The draw was not won cleanly and Morris battled for possession, his opponent managed to get the puck back to the point. As they continued to tussle, the defenceman wound up for a shot. Morris fell to his right and the puck, fired from less than 10 feet away struck him in the throat. Examined between periods, Morris seemed fine and coach Mark Jooris said he was joking with the training and coaching staffs. He returned to the bench and took another shift but immediately felt something wrong. The shot had crushed Morris' larynx and his throat started to collapse. He was taken to hospi- tal in Brampton, but was immedi- ately transferred to St. Michael's in Toronto, where he was put in a medically-induced coma. Days passed as doctors wait- ed for the swelling to subside so they could operate. Hearing the well-spoken Morris describe the details almost a year later, you would not know the extent of the injuries he suffered. The metal detector at the airport might tell you otherwise. "It's all fixed, all healed up," he says. "There's a titanium rod holding it all together." While there is some risk in play- ing, just as there was before the inju- ry, Morris isn't taking unnecessary chances. "I wouldn't put my life on the line," he said. "Honestly, it was such an unusual injury that I don't worry about it. It was a fluke accident." "These kind of injuries can be career changing," Jooris said, "but he played fearless before and he's playing fearless now. He's not timid, he's still throwing himself in front of shots." Morris missed the Cougars' sea- son opener while attending the Pe- terborough Petes' training camp, but he's decided to pursue a college scholarship instead. Jooris was more than happy to have him back in the Cougars' line- up. "He's a great penalty killer and has a ton of energy," he said. "He's one of those guys you can win with. He goes to battle every night." Though he was practising with the Cougars by the end of last sea- son, it has benefitted Morris get- ting a fresh start this year. Jooris said Morris has come back stronger as a result of his off-season work. "I worked hard to get back to where I was and then I kept working through the summer," Morris said. "We've got a strong team and I want to do everything I can to help them." He did exactly that against Au- rora. And while the goal was im- portant in that it helped Burlington snap a three-game losing streak, for Morris it was also a way to say thanks to those who supported him. "All the people who texted me and sent me messages, that meant the world to me," he said. By Herb Garbutt Metroland Media Group Bulldogs in Fall League finals The Halton Hills Minor Baseball Association is looking to revive its junior rep team program and has a tryout scheduled for this Saturday afternoon. It's open to players born from 1995-97. Coach Dave Ridley will be auditioning players on Saturday (Oct. 10) beginning at 1 p.m. at the Georgetown Fairgrounds. For more info contact info@ hhmba.ca BEN MORRIS Players needed for junior rep ball team